Beijing's No. 5 subway line, which runs through the heart of the
city from north to south, is set to begin operation on October 7
after taking nearly five years to build.
The 27.6-km line has 23 stops and runs from Tiantongyuan North
Station in northern Beijing's Changping district to Songjiazhuang
Station in southern Fengtai district.
It meets with the city's east-west subway Line 1 and crosses the
loop line - Line 2. Passengers on Line 5 can also transfer to Line
13, north Beijing's light rail link.
Construction of the new subway line began in December, 2002 and
involved 12 billion yuan (about US$1.6 billion) in investment.
Trial operation was launched in late June this year.
Equipped with a wireless communication network, live broadcasts
will be provided on televisions installed in each subway car and
passengers will never lose the signal on their mobile phones.
The subway cars are wider and taller than the ones operating on
the older lines and are designed to reach speeds of 80 km per hour.
Elevators designed to aid disabled people have been installed.
Urban planners say completion of the No. 5 subway line will
greatly ease north-south traffic congestion.
Beijing now has four subway lines with a total mileage of 114 km
and they transport about 1.15 million passengers daily, 15 percent
of the total commuters.
According to the municipal government, Beijing will add three
subway lines next year and the total mileage will reach 200 km.
By 2020, 19 subway lines totaling 561.5 kilometers will have
been put into operation, which could make it the largest
underground rail system in the world, according to Beijing's city
planning authorities.
Beijing held a public hearing this week, proposing two new
pricing systems that will lead to a reduction of subway fares,
which is believed to help ease ground traffic congestion.
(Xinhua News Agency September 29, 2007)